


Let Us Fall and Rise

by Destiny_in_the_Stars



Series: On a Summer Wind [3]
Category: Coco (2017)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Attempted Sexual Assault, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, Gender Role Reversal, Implied/Referenced Abuse, One-Sided Attraction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-06-30 16:45:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15755754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Destiny_in_the_Stars/pseuds/Destiny_in_the_Stars
Summary: Harmonia Rivera is a young female musician, limited by her male partner, Ernesto. Everything changes when she meets no-nonsense Imelda, realizing she's been wanting more this entire time, but of course... they can't be together. At least, that's what they've been told





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Deciding Harmonia's name was easy; in Spanish, the name means harmony, which I felt fit her perfectly
> 
> Note: this does contain serious subject matters, such as homophobia and attempts at assault, so reader discretion is advised.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing is entirely as it seems while Harmonia has the chance to meet Imelda all while dealing with gender getting in the way of success

Harmonia Rivera only wanted to be able to write her music and perform without her gender getting in the way of that. She was told to simply stay at home, taking care of chores and her future kids, but Harmonia yearned for something more. She wanted a purpose, a place where she could be herself that couldn’t be prevented through boundaries.

 

She wasn’t oblivious to the way some men looked at her as if she were simply a piece of meat to take, but she also relied on her partner, Ernesto de la Cruz, to help. They had known each other since they were kids. Ernesto was there most of her life, protecting her from the predators that might want to hurt her, but that didn’t mean their relationship was entirely the best.

 

Ernesto had a habit of ordering her around, using his prized songwriter to clean the house or cook if needed, but Harmonia did as she was told. He didn’t hit her and he even let her write the songs for their performances, which meant it was alright. Wasn’t it? Harmonia never noticed anything odd about the smiles he gave when he asked her to do something.

 

She wouldn’t have realized that Ernesto was only keeping her as a housekeeper, didn’t see the hungry look in her partner’s eyes whenever her back was turned. Harmonia had been sitting out on the steps of their shared home, despite the fact they weren’t a couple, her songbook in hand. She was writing on a new song, a smile on her lips as she worked. Humming softly as the wind whipped in her black hair, Harmonia failed to notice as a woman with a basket passed by. Finally glancing up, Harmonia froze, eyes widened.

 

The new woman had long dark hair, a stern gaze in her eyes, wearing a formal dress which was a darkened purple. She had this posture to her that radiated confidence and power, refusing to let anyone get in the way of her success.

 

Harmonia thought she was pretty, the way this new woman just held her head high and kept going.

 

“Perdoname! What’s your name, miss?” Harmonia called out, one hand holding her songbook, as she walked up to this woman. Wow, she was stunning.

 

“Ay! Bueno… my name is Imelda,” the dark-haired woman answered, adjusting the grip she had on her basket.

 

“Mi nombre… it’s Harmonia,” the female songwriter replied, a smile on her lips, extending out her hand. She only seemed to beam wider when Imelda grasped her hand and shook it.

 

“I have to finish my-” Imelda’s words were suddenly cut off by the voice of Ernesto.

 

“Harmonia! Don’t you have laundry to do?” Ernesto scolded at Harmonia. He glared at his partner’s new company before heading back inside the house, disappearing from view.

 

“Does he always treat you like that?” Imelda frowned, because she wasn’t entirely impressed with the way that the man had talked to Harmonia. She didn’t comment much on it either way, due to the fact she reached the conclusion that the male could’ve been Harmonia’s husband.

 

“It’s nothing. Ernesto and I are work partners,” Harmonia shrugged like it was no big deal. She didn’t see it as Ernesto manipulating her. Why would he do that after always protecting her from aggressors and the fact they’d been best friends since childhood?

 

Imelda just nodded, deciding at the moment not to question it too much, but deep down… she felt like something wasn’t right.

 

“I have to finish this. Maybe we can talk to each other later, alright?” Imelda spoke, earning a smile and eager nod from the black-haired female in front of her.

 

Harmonia disappeared back inside, after giving Imelda a happy “goodbye” and went back to gather up the laundry, suddenly frowning when Ernesto appeared in front of her. She tried to hold her ground, seeing the look of annoyance crossing her friend’s face.

 

“You should’ve done this hours ago.” Ernesto hissed, his eyes flashing angrily.

 

Startled by the odd reaction, Harmonia stepped back, feeling extremely uncertain all of a sudden. Was she about to be punished? But- why would he hurt her?

 

“I- I got distracted, writing the song.” Harmonia managed to say.

 

“Then what were you doing talking to that woman? You’re supposed to be my partner and do the chores,” Ernesto snapped. His mood had gradually decreased, getting far more aggressive.

 

“Ernesto, por favor. I’ve been working a lot. Just let me have a break,” Harmonia tried to reason, her voice suddenly soft and quiet.

 

“Stop with the attitude and just do your job!”

 

“My attitude? You’re the one who’s getting worked up over nothing!” She hissed, because she wasn’t too fond of the way her supposed friend was acting. She’d been doing a handful of chores on top of writing the songs needed for a performance.

 

She didn’t see it coming as Ernesto suddenly backhanded her across the face, emitting a yelp from her when his hand collided with her left cheek. Eyes wide, Harmonia stumbled back, not liking the way her friend was behaving.

 

“What did I just say? Go do your chores. Now.”

 

“Por favor, Ernesto! I just need a day to myself,” Harmonia tried again, but upon seeing Ernesto’s hand begin to rise again, she flinched and went to do as she was told. Tears sprung in the corners of her eyes, silently sweeping up the porch and taking care of the laundry.

 

When night finally fell, Harmonia was downright exhausted, having also washed the dishes and cooked dinner for both her and Ernesto. She barely looked at him as she sat down to eat, quietly taking a bite.

 

“Harmonia-” Ernesto began to say.

 

“You hurt me. Why should I talk to you?” Harmonia asked with a soft and slightly angry voice. She would never fully admit how much it stung her when Ernesto actually hit her. Would he do it again?

 

“I didn’t mean it, Harmonia. I wasn’t trying to hurt you,” Ernesto spoke in an oddly-sounding voice. He frowned, suddenly sitting closer to the songwriter, one hand moving closer to her.

 

Confused by the action, Harmonia tried to pull away, but the hold on her simply tightened. She felt oddly uncomfortable in this position. Why was Ernesto being so increasingly friendly?

 

“Get off of me, Ernesto,” Harmonia said lowly, her tone sounding a bit afraid.

 

“Harmonia, don’t be like this. You know you want it.” Ernesto cooed, moving his hand down towards his prized songwriter’s leg, caressing the muscle.

Gasping, Harmonia began to fight against his hold, eyes wide with fright. She didn’t like this, not when it was coming from him. He wouldn’t do this. He wouldn’t.

 

“Stop resisting me. I have feelings for you. Can’t you see that, mi querida?” Ernesto tried again, using his other hand to try and pull Harmonia close, attempting to suddenly kiss her.

 

Harmonia froze, before suddenly swinging out her leg to kick at her claimed partner. She winced when he yelled out, the grip on her slackening, before trying to bolt out the front door. Tears pricked in her eyes, especially now that she knew Ernesto’s true attention.

 

“Harmonia! You stupid-” Ernesto growled, gripping the female guitarist by her wrist and pulling her back.

 

“Help! Get away from me!” She yelled at the top of her lungs, her cries muffled out of nowhere by a hand closing over his mouth. Panic flared, resulting in the flight-or-fight instinct, and she struggled, biting down hard on Ernesto’s palm. At his angered shout, Harmonia kicked him again, then scrambled out of the house.

 

She had to get out of there, tears streaming heavily down her face, at the thought of what had almost happened to her. Harmonia stumbled down the town, suddenly stopping when she arrived by the bakery, gasping softly. Once she was certain she was safe, she broke down, sniffling and shaking badly. Eyes closing, she ended up crying herself to sleep.

 

When she awoke the next morning, the traumatized songwriter got up, glad that there was no one out at this hour. Harmonia sighed and made sure to avoid running into Ernesto, not heading down her former partner’s usual hangouts.

 

In her current state, she hadn’t seen where she was going and ended up running straight into someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, comments or even kudos mean so much to me, so please try and leave one... 
> 
> On another note, I hope this first chapter is much to your interest, though the topics presented in this are dark subjects and therefore should be treaded with caution


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harmonia deals with the aftermath and Imelda helps her recover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter! Comments are highly appreciated as are kudos!

In all her time living in Santa Cecilia, Imelda Belasco had never met anyone by the likes of Harmonia Rivera. Their first encounter was a little strange, especially with the arrival of that man who had gotten a bit aggressive with Harmonia. Imelda wanted to convince herself that Harmonia and the male were simply a couple, but something kept nagging at the back of her mind. 

 

Was there the slightest chance that they weren’t together? 

 

Then why were they living under the same roof? It just didn’t make sense. Though Harmonia had mentioned that she was business partners with that man, Ernesto, but that made less sense than not being a couple. 

 

Imelda sighed, having been heading to get some needed new sewing items for her clothes, when she suddenly felt someone collide against her. Gasping in surprise, she noticed it was Harmonia who had broken down, sobbing against Imelda’s chest. Imelda lightly wrapped her arms around the other female and began guiding her towards Imelda’s home. 

 

“It’s okay. Easy,” Imelda murmured as she allowed Harmonia into the house. 

 

“I- I didn’t think he’d-” 

 

Imelda’s worst conclusions had come to mind, but she only nodded in response as if saying that it was okay. She didn’t want to pressure Harmonia into speaking, only to immediately begin to frown when she saw that the black-haired woman seemed to be on the verge of tears again. 

 

“H-He hit..” Harmonia paused again. “He hit me…” she mumbled softly, refusing to say what else had almost happened at Ernesto’s hand. 

 

A sudden wave of rage coursed through Imelda, forcing herself to calm down. Despite her suspicions that it wasn’t the full story, she just pulled Harmonia into a hug and attempted to calm her down. It was almost an hour later before Harmonia relaxed, the woman slumping exhaustively in Imelda’s arms. Neither one of them spoke and Imelda slowly disentangled herself, heading downstairs to get lunch cooked up. 

 

Harmonia had fallen asleep right then and there on the bed, too tired to do much. She began restless out of nowhere, having horrible dreams about Ernesto grabbing her and pinning her into the wall, the hungry look in his eyes. While it was true that hadn’t happened, the fear kept her paralyzed, frozen and rigid, muttering helplessly in her sleep. 

 

Imelda had been subconsciously humming beneath her breath while she cooked, trying to clear her mind as she couldn’t help but think of Harmonia. She didn’t want to do anything that the other woman wasn’t comfortable with, though her mind kept traveling back to the female. Why? She didn’t understand it. 

 

A scream tore through the house and Imelda’s eyes widened, rushing upstairs to find Harmonia in a fitful sleep. 

 

“Hey, Harmonia! It’s okay!” Imelda said. She yelped in surprise when the black-haired adult buried her face and neck into her right shoulder, not moving from that position. Sighing softly, Imelda refused to move, wanting to do her best in comforting Harmonia. 

 

“I- I didn’t think he’d try and…” 

 

“Try and what?” Imelda asked, frowning. 

 

“He… got a little too close. He grabbed me and said I’d end up liking- liking it. He- I tri-tried to get away, so he let me go and I- I- I just ran,” Harmonia sniffed softly. 

 

The pieces started fitting together, making Imelda’s blood boil as she heard the story. Her body trembled with rage and she gritted her teeth together, resisting the urge to let loose a stream of colorful language. She couldn’t help but think if Harmonia had been too late in trying to get away. Imelda felt oddly protective about the other, like… it was her duty to do so. Why? She didn’t understand it. She didn’t want to. 

 

“You can stay with me, however long you like.” Imelda found herself saying. 

 

Harmonia sighed, “Than-Thank you.” 

 

Imelda only nodded and pulled back, giving her new guest some room. Now she just had to introduce Harmonia to the rest of the family; her two younger brothers, Felipe and Oscar. It would take work, getting the black-haired female to ease back into a normal state. 

 

It took a while, but eventually Harmonia eased up to Felipe and Oscar, both of which were notorious pranksters yet protected the songwriter if she needed it. She spent her time writing new songs, humming to herself as she worked around the house. Imelda tried to get her to relax, but Harmonia insisted in helping out. 

 

“You write songs?” Imelda found herself asking one day.

 

Harmonia replied with a laugh, “Por su puesto! I’ve always found it entertaining to write them.” 

 

“How long have you-” 

 

“Since I was a child. It’s my passion,” Harmonia answered. She chuckled softly. “I… started my partnership with… him because he protected me.” She said in a voice barely above a whisper. 

 

“I-” 

 

“He let me write my songs, but he always took credit for them. I should’ve realized he wasn’t treating me right.” Harmonia growled, only to be silenced by Imelda placing her hands on the songwriter’s shoulders. She blushed madly, beginning to feel madly embarrassed over the other’s actions. 

 

“He won’t hurt you ever again,” Imelda hissed. 

 

“I know.” Harmonia breathed. 

 

“Harmonia… there’s something that- that I need to tell you,” Imelda frowned, her lips pursed tightly. She swallowed thickly. “It’s about us.” 

 

Harmonia didn’t seem understand, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. She gasped when Imelda leaned a bit closer, not really knowing how to react, but she knew she felt the same way. The female songwriter grinned and maneuvered her hands until she held them behind Imelda’s neck. 

 

“I didn’t know you felt this way.” Harmonia breathed as she gently pressed her lips to Imelda’s, melting into the kiss. She let out a soft purr, relaxing fully, the musician sighing in content. She’d always known she just wasn’t that into guys, but she never fully accepted it as she feared she’d only be ridiculed. 

 

Of course, this also meant they had to keep their relationship a secret because same gender couples weren’t accepted in these times. 

 

“We… can’t tell anyone about this,” Imelda pulled back, frowning. “It won’t work out.” 

 

Despite the sudden feeling of rejection, Harmonia knew Imelda was right and just smiled sadly. She didn’t want to part this way, especially now that she knew how she felt. Why did fate have to be so cruel?

 

“Imelda- we don’t have to abide by social laws. We can continue this-” 

 

“No, Harmonia, we can’t.” Imelda’s jaw hardened, her teeth gritted. She knew this was only hurting both of them, but it was the right thing to do. 

 

Harmonia could only nod in reply and re-focused her attention onto writing her current song. She fought back tears, wondering why she couldn’t just be with Imelda despite whatever everyone else thought. 

 

It was almost  a year later before Harmonia tried courting Imelda, no matter what anyone else fought. The songwriter was dancing and playing in the plaza, singing like nothing could go wrong. Imelda was working on mending a shoe, though she smirked at seeing the glee in her guest’s eyes. 

 

“Andale, Imelda,” Harmonia laughed as she set down her guitar and pulled Imelda into a dance, still singing even without need of her instrument. 

 

“Why, what do we have here?” A voice cut out. A young man sneered at the two females, as if they were doing something wrong, glaring at them. 

 

“Ay! Come off it! We’re just-” 

 

“You dirty rats… liking each…” 

 

Within seconds, Harmonia had pulled off her shoe and smacked it at the man, her teeth bared in a feral snarl. Her eyes ignited, flashing with a sudden spark. 

 

“Leave us be! You don’t see anyone else caring,” the female snapped. Screw everyone and their beliefs. “What does it matter? I like her and I don’t care what you think!” 

 

The man yelped in surprise, beginning to back down. His eyes widened, muttering a quick apology. 

 

“I don’t care what any of you think! I love her and that’s final!” Harmonia hissed at everyone. Her eyes widened in sheer surprise when she was greeted by a loud shout and clapping. Had it actually worked? 

 

Imelda stared, stunned by the reaction of Harmonia, only to be taken by more shock when Harmonia pulled her close and kissed her. 

 

Yes, a few people were disgusted, sneering awful comments, but some also cheered. 

 

Harmonia didn’t seem to care. She had done it. She’d overcome her fears and gotten the woman she truly loved. 

 

“Te amo, mi vida.” Harmonia purred softly. 

 

Imelda gasped, but she kissed back and whispered, “Y yo por siempre.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations: 
> 
> Por su puesto- Of course
> 
> Andale- Go on 
> 
> Te amo, mi vida- I love you, my life 
> 
> Y yo por siempre- And I forever


End file.
